Love's Change of Heart

After hearing Daphne's words, Louis stared at her in silence, his lips curled in doubt as he looked into her eyes.

In the meantime, she returned his gaze with determination gleaming in her eyes. She wanted him to know that he should not tie himself down regarding certain matters.

Following a brief period of silence, the lights around them dimmed.

"What about you?" he asked softly, seemingly out of nowhere.

Daphne stared blankly at Louis for a moment after he asked that question, and it took her a while to figure out what he was getting at. "Me… What?"

"Did you reject me because I should not have been responsible for certain consequences?"

After hearing this, she gaped at him in the dim light, not knowing what to say. Is this a trick question? I can't give a satisfactory response to his question because there is none. After all, the fact that I reject him has nothing to do with this. Why does he mention I turned him down? Also, why does he suddenly bring it up again? In the few seconds since the silence had descended, millions of thoughts raced through her mind, and she had never felt so trapped that she could not utter a word. When his phone finally rang at that crucial moment, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Soon, the stairwell lit up again as the lights turned on in response to the sound. Consequently, Louis could take in Daphne's lost and panicked expression.

However, she seized the chance to look away and said, "We've been away for quite a while. We… We should head back."

She had just turned around when he remarked, "There's a lingering odor of smoke on me."

After hearing that, Daphne whirled around to face him. "In that case—"

"Can you help me?" Louis interrupted.

"How do I do that?" she asked, puzzled.

As soon as she uttered those words, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his embrace. Then, he said, "Your perfume should cover up the odor."

His actions rendered her speechless.

She was only partially encircled by his arms because he was only giving her a half-hug, so there was plenty of room for her to escape his grasp if she so desired. However, that only made her heart skip faster. Later, the lights dimmed again, and she could hear her heart beating rapidly. "That night, were you down there the whole night?" she whispered.

After a brief pause during which Louis made no denials, he finally hummed.

"Why?" Daphne asked.

"I was afraid Theodore would seek you out again." He paused, then continued, "Are you going to ask why I was afraid he'd seek you out again?"

Your response is crystal clear. As she contemplated her response, he received silence. A moment later, she said, "Louis McKinney, I have never..."

This is the first time I can recall that she has addressed me by my full name. In response, Louis stepped back and calmly stated, "We still have work to do. Let us remain calm and relaxed."

When she heard that, Daphne quickly stifled the words on the tip of her tongue. He's right. Making things awkward now will make future meetings even more uncomfortable, thus affecting our work. She suddenly realized why he had been so vague in the past; he must have already known that she would not agree to date him.

After leaving the emergency exit and realizing she needed to change, he said, "I'll head on over first."

After a beat, Daphne responded, "Okay."

Meanwhile, Zoe was talking to Leanna when Louis walked over. Zoe's eyes immediately lit up when she saw him and exclaimed, "When did you turn into such a handsome man, Louis? You get more handsome by the day."

Her words rendered him speechless.

After that, she nudged Leanna with her elbow. "Do you see this, Nana?"

Leanna chuckled and stated, "I do."

After that, Zoe couldn't help but pull out her camera and snap pictures of him as she tutted. "Your looks are enough to kill off the careers of so many celebrities. His company has struck gold with him!" Suddenly, she smelled the faint scent of perfume on his shirt. "You use cologne?" she asked incredulously.

"It might be from the dressing room," Louis replied.

Zoe hummed in response and then raised an eyebrow at Leanna because she could sense the whiff of gossip.

Seeing that, Leanna dragged Zoe back away from him. "Alright. That's enough out of you. Remember to take decent pictures of him."

"Oh, yes, yes," Zoe said. "Hold still, Louis. I need a few more photos of you. They'll be put up on the studio wall. We'll be swarmed with fans by then."

On the other hand, Louis had gone through a promotional photoshoot for the reality show he was in, so he was not a stranger to photoshoots. Soon, Zoe's camera was filled with photos of him.

As she continued to take pictures, she exclaimed, "Nana, I think we should expedite the development of our men's line products. A day without it is a major loss of profits."

"Okay. I get it," Leanna said, chuckling. Although I have never given it much thought, I could expand my business to include jewelry design for men.

By the time Louis' photoshoot was finished, Daphne was done changing and entered the studio. She was dressed in a tailored dress from a certain luxury brand, and every piece of jewelry on her, from the tiara to the earrings and the necklace, was designed by Leanna. The air seemed to shimmer as she approached them.

At that moment, he pursed his lips when he saw her.